First Week Home

Good Sunday morning. I am starting my second week at home and enjoy all the free time that comes with that. Before I was fully awake this morning, I panicked for a moment, thinking I never defrosted any meat for cooking...what would I serve the crew? It took a moment before I realized I was at home and that I would only be making lunch for myself. When I am on the ship, I always cook the meals I make in my mind first, planning sides that will complement the main meal and then selecting a second choice that is very different from the main meal but has a bit of a tie-in. I am always thinking about food and preparing food and I laugh when I have moments like this morning where I am half asleep, wondering what I am going to cook, and not realizing I am at home. It happens every once in a while.

Before I was fully awake I was trying to figure out what I would cook for my crew…before realizing I was at home and only making lunch for myself.

The weather has been a little rainy since I got home but on Friday the weather was beautiful for a day trip into Montreal. I love to go to the city and explore. I always find myself drawn to the Vieux Port (Old Port of Montreal) and this time was no different. It was a beautiful day and I could not believe how many tourists were in the beautiful area. I spent a few hours sitting down by the waterfront and every once in a while would take a walk and move to another beautiful location. It was a really great day and I took some photos to share with you. Unfortunately, my battery on my phone was almost drained before I was and I wasn't able to share the photos from the rest of my day.

The Old section of Montreal is so beautiful

It was the perfect day for exploring this beautiful city. This is Gibby’s steak house where I have had many beautiful meals.

I had lunch at Olive et Gourmando on Saint-Paul O. I sat in front of an open window.

I would have loved to sit longer but the restaurant was busy and I wanted to give others a chance to enjoy this restaurant.

I waited in line for 40 minutes to get a seat in this busy little restaurant. I didn’t need to look at the menu. I was here for their warm potato salad with dill. It was better than I remembered. I chatted with a lovely girl who sat beside me and was visiting from Florida. She shared with me how much she loved the ambiance of old Montreal. I suggested next time she should order the potato salad. It is exceptionally good.

It’s no wonder that I ran out of charge on my phone before the end of my day. There was so much to enjoy.

This to me is a scene from a movie. I admire her skill maneuvering the dogs.

The main street St Catherine’s has been newly rebuilt. The sidewalks are wide with numerous benches along the way.

St Paul O is closed to traffic and a beautiful pedestrian passage.

I had dinner at the Keg. I have eaten there for over 40 years and knew it would be the perfect place to sit and watch the people pass. I always like to order the wedge salad.

I made steak tacos with my leftover steak from the night before.

I sat and watched the pleasure craft being directed to their dock for their overnight stay at the King Edward Marina. It made me think of all the pleasure craft that I see when we are sailing in the Montreal Harbor. Often you can hear the cargo ships blasting the horn for the pleasure craft to move out of the shipping lane. I was looking through my videos to share with you. I had taken some video of a sailboat that refused to move as we were upbound making our way into St Lambert Lock. The ship was blasting the whistle, suggesting strongly that they get out of the way. I didn't get very far looking for the video because I started watching all the videos I have taken and not shared yet. I decided to share a video with you today of a pilot change in Trois Rivieres. It was taken last July 2023. We were downbound on our way to Quebec City. I always try to get out to see the pilot change because it always fascinates me that the pilots join or disembark while the ship is moving. On this occasion, it was 06h00, so I had time to take a video of the entire process. It was a beautiful morning and not too windy. I shared in the video how I disembarked the Algoma Hansa in November 2019 by way of the pilot boat. We were at anchor, but I remember still being really nervous because I had to go down the gangway over open water. I'm not so worried about going down the gangway, but it's that last step onto the pilot boat that I worry about. In general, that is the concern any time I go up or down a ladder. Being on the ladder is not a problem for me, It's stepping on or stepping off that is most difficult. I am always nervous watching my luggage go over the ship's side too, hoping that it doesn't drop into the water. That day in November when I set foot on the gangway I was grateful that it was not too cold or windy. Climbing the ladder or gangway with frozen fingers makes it more difficult, but that particular day, it was mild. The pilot boat dropped the 2nd engineer and myself off at the Sorel harbor.

I enjoy going through my photos and videos and will share them with you when I come across ones that are share-worthy. I don't always have the time to share them when I am on the ship. Usually, I take a video of the galley before I depart a ship, but in my excitement to organize the lunch for the arriving cook,I forgot to take a departure video of the Assiniboine galley. I do have some photos that I can share with you. I will also share photos of my cauliflower thins, which are great for sandwiches.